We’ve been hosting daily “Appy” hours using Teams. The Teams program is Microsoft’s answer to Google Meets. We’re an Office 365 school, not a Google school so this is perfect for us. Around 3:00 PM faculty and staff who are available, log in to our shared Team to talk about an app that we’re using as part of our distance learning strategies.

This serves several purposes:

1. It’s bringing us together as a community. Almost every day we do this and it lets us see each other’s faces. It lets us talk about what’s happening in our lives. It gives us an opportunity to just be together for a common cause.

2. There is a lot of technology being thrown at us. By talking about these apps in a casual environment and hearing from others who are using them, the fear of the unknown is minimized. We can do a show and tell, ask questions, and hear from anyone already using the items.

3. We record “Appy” hours so those can’t attend can go back and watch later.

4. “Appy” hour is a much more manageable way to present online PD. It’s less structured than a formal presentation or a formal class so there is almost no prep work.

“Appy” hour… It’s a good thing! I urge you to give it a try at your school.